Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Is it Hot in Here or Is it Just Me?

Good question, Ernie. It seems like we Americans are divided on so many issues these days. You've got your Mac loyalists and your PC people. You've got those who love crocs and those who hate crocs. (which if you ask me, that blogger just doesn't get it. they're not supposed to be worn for fashion!) You've got red states and blue states even though we really are just one big purple country. There's them what love American Idol and there's them that don't. And it goes on and on and on.

Tonight, talk radio show host Glenn Beck will air a special on his tv show on CNN's Headline news channel. He'll be discussing the global warming debate; specifically how it has become a one-sided dogmatic belief. Before long, this will be Al Gore's campaign motto.

I urge all who can to watch this show tonight. There's no doubt there is some sort of climate change happening-but the cause isn't completely understood. As it should be with any topic, I believe it's important to do my own research and consider all the evidence before I form an opinion.

This year you will see how environmental awareness will effect our economy. With the rise in funding for new ethanol manufacturing plants comes the rise in demand for corn crops. This year we will have the largest increase in corn crop acreage in the last 60 years. Because so much land is being used to plant corn that means there is fewer land available for produce contracts, primarily vegetables. We'll see some supply problems and price increases as the year progresses as well as an increase in imported vegetables. Since the government offers subsidies for corn and soy bean growers, the farmers are looking at a guaranteed income amount in case of a drought, flood, cold snap, or other weather or pest related events. As a result the price of corn has begun to rise steadily also. This has a ripple effect reaching out to beef cattle, milk farms, and poultry farms. Chicken prices have been up the last 2 months and there's evidence that trend will continue for at least 3 more months.

If we're going to decide to finally do something to help preserve our environment and change the way we function, we're going to have to be willing to accept the economic consequences.

3 comments:

We can all split hairs about whether there is "global warming" as it may be demonized or glorified by the respective PR flacks, but decades of post-industrial consumption have taken its toll on our weary planet. North Americans are on the whole taking a lot more than we're giving. It is not sustainable.

So much else in our society is forwarded for "the good of the children" -- a close introspection of the environment and a plan to change our evil ways would actually be for the benefit of future adult generations. Current adults would get something out of it, too. It's well past time to begin.

As a hunter and outdoorsman, gentle giant, you are already a conservationalist in a certain sense, and you have an understanding of landscape abuse that many of us don't get. What's it look like out there...?

G&F: I never was a boy scout, yet the mantra of "leave it in better shape than you found it" is timeless and wise advice for everyone. To do that on a large scale is going to take "WE THE PEOPLE" putting OUR feet against the throats of the ones we elect and telling them it is time to change. And we also have to put up some cash somehow to pay for it.

The first thing we need to do is phase out our fossil fuel coal burning facilities and start building nuclear plants. It's clean and by far the safest source we have for mass energy production.

Hell, if the French can run 85% of their country on it we surely can too! The average annual death toll due to coal mining worldwide is about 5500 people. Except for Chernobyl there hasn't been a deadly nuclear disaster. It's time we made that move....and this is coming from a small town guy whose hometown possesses 2 of the state's top 3 most polluting facilities in the state!!!

However, I have been fortunate to not witness much habitat destruction in my ole stomping grounds. Save for about 30 acres of woodlands that was turned into houses, most areas I hunt and fish have remained untouched. But it's happening. A good friend of mine back home is well off today thanks to his grandparents selling their land to help create what is now the Wolfchase mall. It once was all farm fields and trees.

This new concept of "Going Green" interests me. It's time to be friendly to the environment since we are so depend on it after all it has been pretty kind to us. I've heard once you go "Green" you'll never go back!;)